Las Piñas

Introduction

Las Piñas has come a long way from its humble origins. Starting out as a fishing village, it has blossomed into the Philippines’ top salt producer up until the 1970s. Nestled near the southern border of Metro Manila and Cavite, Las Piñas is rapidly developing into one of the most urbanized areas in the NCR.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Glimpses of the Past

Although Las Piñas is best known for the bamboo organ housed in the St. Joseph Parish Church, the city is home to many other cultural artifacts. For example, the Lara House along Quirino Avenue — which dates back to the 1880s — stands as a reminder of the time when Juan Tiongkiao held office as Las Piñas’ first mayor from 1905 to 1913. Other notable cultural artifacts include the Viñalon House, the Cristobal House, the De La Cruz House, the De Leon House, and the Hernandez House.

Las Piñas also launched the Historical Corridor Project in 1997, which aimed to revive public interest in historical landmarks such as the Irasan Center (also known as the Las Piñas Salt Bed), Zapote Bridge (where the second largest battle of the Philippine-American War took place) and the Molino/Pinza Dam (which was a 19th century construction by Augustinian Recollect friars for irrigation).

(Photo via Daily Tribune)

Lantern Capital of Metro Manila

Aside from offering a glimpse through history, Las Piñas also offers seasonal delights in the form of colorful festivals. One of the most well-known is the Lantern or Parol Festival, which showcases the city’s parol craftsmanship every Christmas season. Other festivals in Las Piñas worth noting are the International Bamboo Organ Festival, the Las Piñas City Historical Festival and the Waterlily Festival.

(Photo via The City of Las Piñas)

Clean and Green City

From 1997 to 1999, Las Piñas earned the title of “Cleanest and Greenest City of Metro Manila.” The city continues to prioritize efforts to improve environmental sustainability, as shown by its ranking in the 2018 World Air Quality Report as the 15th cleanest city in Southeast Asia.

Economic Background

(Photo via Business World)

Potential for Growth

Las Piñas is poised to become one of Metro Manila’s thriving metropolitan centers. For one, its proximity to Alabang-Zapote Road and Cavite has helped to drive, and will likely continue to drive, residential and commercial development. According to Las Piñas’ official website, the city currently rakes in an income of approximately Php1.1 billion.

Presently, half of Las Piñas consists of residential areas, while the other half is made up of commercial, industrial and institutional establishments. The city map has several private subdivisions such as BF Resort, Pilar Village and BF Homes, and it is likely that there will be more of these types of subdivisions in the future.

(Photo via Asya Design)

Business and Career Opportunities

Las Piñas provides a good environment for emerging startups, as evidenced by the fact that 70 percent of the businesses in the city are single proprietorships. As of 2007, the city has around 7,728 business establishments.

The chances of finding gainful employment in Las Piñas are high. The city has a labor force participation rate of 64.72 percent, while the overall employment rate is 92 percent. Furthermore, Las Piñas has a considerable number of manpower training and livelihood centers, ensuring that member residents will always have employable skills.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Tourism

So far, Las Piñas’ efforts to promote tourism mostly center on the Historical Corridor Project. Aside from raising awareness and interest in the city’s historical and cultural landmarks, the project also aims to spearhead the restoration, reconstruction and beautification of the above mentioned landmarks.

Las Piñas’ churches in particular are worth a visit. There’s the St. Joseph Parish that houses the city’s famous bamboo organ. There’s also the Santuario de San Ezekiel Moreno, a popular venue for special events like weddings and christenings due to its beautiful interiors. Finally, there’s the Mary Immaculate Parish Church, which is also known as the “Nature Church” due to its open, nature-inspired design.

(Photo via Spot.ph)

Modern Attractions

Churches and bridges aren’t the only attractions in Las Piñas. The Evia Lifestyle Center is an upscale mall where families can enjoy the outdoors while shopping to their heart’s content. Meanwhile, SM Southmall provides entertainment options, such as a bowling center and the first of only two IMAX cinemas in the city (the other being the IMAX theater at Evia).

(Photo via AllHome)

Other Retail Hubs

In 2017, Manuel “Manny” Villar opened the Philippines’ first full-line home center in Las Piñas under the AllHome brand. At 20,000 square meters of selling space, it’s the largest AllHome store as of its opening date, and consists of the signature home center, the signature coffee shop Coffee Project, a supermarket and a bakeshop. The success of this retail hub, as well as the other commercial centers in Las Piñas, will certainly spur real estate development in the city.

Future projects and infrastructure

(Photo via Pop News Philippines)

Zapote River Drive Road Project

As of this writing, the Zapote River Drive road project is in its fourth phase. The project, which aims to reduce flooding and cut travel time on the road by 60 percent, spans 15 kilometers.

Two retaining walls with road are under construction. One is 300 meters and goes through Barangay Talon 5, Moonwalk Phase 2 and Golden Acres up to Zapote River Drive. The other is 630 meters and goes through Vatican Drive to Cicero Street in BF Resort Village. There will also be a 100-meter road in Barangay Zapote, covering the route from San Isidro Pamplona 1 to Diego Cera Avenue.

(Photo via Business World Online)

Cavitex Road Enhancements

As of June 2019, Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. (CIC) is in its second phase of road enhancements in the South Metro area. The first phase was completed in December 2018, which considerably improved motorists’ travel experience between Cavite, Parañaque and Las Piñas.

The second phase will widen the Wawa, Parañaque and Las Piñas bridges by adding more lanes. The project expects completion by the fourth quarter of 2019, in response to the nine percent increase in traffic through the area since January 2019.

(Photo via Alabang Bulletin)

Water Reclamation Facility

Early in 2019, Megaworld — in partnership with MUL consortium members LinkENERGIE and Toshiba Water Solutions Ltd — initiated the construction of the Las Piñas Water Reclamation Facility, which will be serviced by Maynilad Water Services Inc.

The facility will become Maynilad’s largest wastewater treatment plant. It will process sewage per the DENR’s standards of cleanliness, and aid in Manila Bay’s cleanup efforts by discharging only clean water into the rivers leading directly into the bay. It may also help alleviate the water shortage problems plaguing both of Metro Manila’s water concessionaires.

(Photo via Railway Technology)

LRT-1 Cavite Extension

Under the LRT-1 extension project, the current 18.1-kilometer LRT-1 will be lengthened by 11.7 kilometers. The extended rail line will have eight new stations stretching through Redemptorist, NAIA, Asia World, Ninoy Aquino, Dr. Santos, Las Piñas, Zapote and Niog, and is expected to be serviceable by the fourth quarter of 2021. Once the project is completed, LRT-1’s daily ridership is projected to increase to 800,000 — a 60 percent increase from the current 500,000.

(Photo via Business World Online)

Anantara Square

To maximize Alabang’s potential as the next urban hotspot, Cathay Land Inc. commenced construction of Anantara Square in April 2019.

The four-tower residential complex will stand between Robinsons Place Las Piñas and SM Southmall along the Alabang-Zapote Road. The first tower, a mixed-use building, is about 20 stories high, has approximately 700 units and is geared towards young professionals and new families.

Anantara Square will have a three-story mini-mall featuring a wide variety of service and retail shops. In addition, it will have amenities such as an aquarium at the center, a lap and kiddie pool, a social hall, a courtyard and a study lounge.

The lowest selling price for 24-square-meter studio units will be Php2.6 million, while the starting price for 1-bedroom units will be Php3.1 million. The turnover of the units will begin in 2023.

Pit Stops in Las Piñas

Entertainment hubs

Back in the early 90s, most people living in the south would have to go all the way to Makati for a more complete shopping experience. But those days are long gone for residents of Las Pinas. The main artery of the city alone, Alabang-Zapote road, boasts of four big malls — talk about options, eh?

It is also interesting to note that as of April last year, the city passed an ordinance giving Senior Citizens the privilege of watching movies for free every Monday and Tuesday in all Las Pinas cinemas. So whether you’re looking to shop, eat, watch a movie, grab a cup of coffee or just hang out with the family on weekends, Las Pinas has what you are looking for.

Foodie Spots

Everytime good restaurants in the south are mentioned, people automatically think of restaurants in the Alabang area or Aguirre Avenue in BF Paranaque. But did you know that Las Pinas has its fair share of foodie destinations, even its own BF food haven in BF Resort Village?

The restaurants below are “homegrown” and can be found only in Las Pinas, the sole exception being a restaurant that started outside of Metro Manila. And the best thing about Las Pinas restaurants: they are usually more affordable.

Hospitals

When choosing your city of residence, one of the most important things you have to evaluate are the hospitals that are accessible to the area. Regardless of whether you have kids or not, knowing where to go for the best medical care possible in times of emergency can literally be the difference between a small hiccup or a major catastrophe.

With a population of more or less 600,000 people, it comes as no surprise that Las Piñas does not have a shortage of hospitals and medical centers — including one of the premier medical schools in the country. The city government also runs a “Green Card” Las Piñas City Hospitalization Program which gives indigent Las Piñas families subsidies of up to Php30,000.

Educational Institutions

Las Piñas has a decent number of educational institutions, many of which cater to students from nursery up to the postgraduate level. Some of the most notable ones are:

How to move around in Las Piñas?

Exciting places and restaurants to visit in the City of Las Piñas are found in private subdivisions and could, therefore, be challenging to access if you do not have your own car. Cabs are also scarce, partly because it has been mostly residential until quite recently. Not to mention that there are just a couple of main roads here. Commuters don’t have to worry though, as there are still a lot of public transport options available.

(Photo via Dito ang Sakayan)

SM Southmall Public Transport Terminal

The SM Southmall PUV terminal is the main transport hub in the City of Las Piñas. Many jeepneys can take you around and to neighboring cities of Cavite, such as Bacoor and Imus. The terminal is found at the leftmost section of SM Southmall located along Alabang-Zapote Road. The major destinations are Soldiers Hills (Las Piñas City), Queen’s Row Center and Queen’s Row Left (Bacoor), and Golden City (Imus).

Vans or UV Express are also available from Monday to Friday to bring commuters to Makati City from 5:30 am to 10 am. It has three main routes. The first one takes you to Amorsolo Exit all the way to Adelantado Street via Dela Rosa Street. The second route passes through Benavidez Street to PLDT at Legaspi Street via Paseo de Roxas. The last route takes commuters through Benavidez Street to EDSA via Makati Avenue.

(Photo via Spot.ph)

Pilar Station

The San Agustin Transport Corp. rolled out on October 2018 a point-to-point (P2P) bus route from Las Piñas’ Pilar Station to Makati City’s Circuit Lane, and vice versa. This was a great relief for people who need to ferry between the two cities on a daily basis. The service starts at 5:30 am until 7 pm from Las Piñas, and 9 pm from Makati. It costs Php100 a ride. Students, senior citizens, and people with disabilities need only pay PhP80. Before buses head to the Skyway towards the last stop in Las Piñas, there are a couple of pick-up and drop off points in Makati area, including Landmark, Ayala Triangle, and RCBC Plaza.

Just last January, the San Agustin Transport Corp. added a new route from SM Southmall to Makati. Its pick-up point is found near the mall’s west parking area and with the same drop-off points in the central business district of Makati.

(Photo via Mapio)

Southland Jeepney Terminal

The Southland Jeepney Terminal located along the Alabang-Zapote road will take commuters to Baclaran through BF Homes, Paranaque or to SM Southmall. The jeepney route passes through commercial areas such as Labasan (Sucat, Paranaque), President’s Ave, El Grande St., and Aguirre Ave. The fare starts at Php8 or Php9 for the first four kilometers and additional Php1 for every succeeding kilometer. Depending on your destination, fare can range from Php20 to Php40.

(Photo via Robinsons Malls)

Robinsons Place Las Piñas

Robinsons Place Las Piñas has a terminal for taxi service and other private cars like ride-hailing app Grab at its main entrance.

(Photo via Flickr)

Bus Lines

There are various bus lines which link Metro Manila and Las Piñas, including Bensan Trans, Tas Trans Corp., Reinalyn Bus Lines, Almark Transit Corp., Erjohn, WLLH Liner or W.L.H. Trans, MJ Sunville Transport, ALTRANSCO, and Arabia Boy Express.

What to do in Las Piñas?

Boredom has no place in the City of Las Piñas as it comes with many exciting and fun activities or pasyalan, some of which are as follows:

(Photo via Lakad Pinas)

Visit the Bamboo Organ Museum

This unique instrument housed in St. Joseph Parish Church offers a rare sight and melodious sound coming from its more than 1,000 pipes made mostly from bamboo. For a minimal fee, you can learn about the amazing history of this instrument which was sent to Germany in the 1970s for restoration and shipped back to become one of today’s national treasures. An organist can also play the instrument for you. To celebrate the restoration, the city holds an International Bamboo Organ Festival every February attracting locals and tourists.

(Photo via Flickr)

Reflect and be Spiritual at the Nature Church

As its name implies, the over three-decade-old Nature Church or the Mary Immaculate Parish is a nature-inspired church in Las Pinas. It features over 40,000 anahaw leaves intricately woven together to form what is regarded as the Philippines’ largest anahaw roof. The open-air nipa hut structure is a favorite wedding venue due to its unique interior made mostly of wood and other native materials. It is nestled in a mango orchard believed to be more than 50 years old, where not a single tree was cut down during its construction. Marble and driftwood made up the altar while Capiz shells comprised the hanging dove ceiling decors illuminating the inside of the church. Tree trunk stumps carved out of star apple trees, meanwhile, serve as seats to over 100 people.

(Photo via Flickr)

Head to Santuario De San Ezekiel Moreno

This church situated along the historic corridor of the old town Las Piñas in Barangay Pulang Lupa holds a lot of significance to the city due to its Spanish colonial period’s architectural elements. Named after the Augustinian priest who served the city from 1876-1879, the church is distinguished as South Metro Manila’s grandest center of faith. It is relatively new compared to St. Joseph Parish Church, but it exudes extreme elegance. It can accommodate 700 people.

(Photo via Citrusnap)

Fill Your Retail and Entertainment Curiosities at Evia Lifestyle Center

Evia Lifestyle Center is a favorite hangout place of many people in the South with their families and friends during the weekend. This upscale commercial center, which also serves as a one-stop hub for residents nearby, is home to famous brands such as Acupoint, Rustan’s Supermarket, McDonald’s, and Starbucks. It also houses the state-of-the-art Vista Cinemas, which bills itself as the first MX4D Motion EFX Theater in the country. Vista Cinemas has everything you can only find in famous international theme parks, such as wind, moving chairs, bubbles, leg ticklers, fog, water blast, and more.

Another major attraction of this commercial hub is The Atrium, a fully air-conditioned place ideal for young kids to play and run around. It is actually a garden or park in the mall concept where parents can sit and relax on the artificial grass while they keep an eye on their kids.

Of course, a day out in Las Piñas won’t be complete without satisfying hungry stomachs and unique cravings. Evia Lifestyle Center’s The Piazza comes with vast dining options against a backdrop reminiscent of The Venetian Hotel in Macau and Las Vegas.

(Photo via Metrodeal)

Play a Competitive Game at SM Southmall Bowling Center

Bowling enthusiasts find their home in Las Pinas with SM Southmall Bowling Center, which features one of the country’s most exceptional bowling facilities. To keep up with the current pace of technology, everything here is fully automated. It has pioneered the use of a fully computerized scoring system. It has also revolutionized 10-pin bowling in the Philippines.

Popular Neighborhoods

Below are five of the most economically significant neighborhoods in Las Piñas, distinguished for their rapid urbanization and dynamic growth in recent years.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

B.F. Resort

B.F. Resort is part of the gated community officially known as Barangay BF Homes in its neighboring city Parañaque. The subdivision, which used to be called the Las Piñas-Parañaque BF Homes, also includes territorial portions in Muntinlupa. Dubbed as “Asia’s largest subdivision,” a secure community was part of Banco Filipino’s BF Homes project which was rolled out in early 1970 alongside its other branches in Naga, Caloocan and Quezon City. The portion including territories of Parañaque and Muntinlupa comprised the label “Parañaque BF Homes” while that of Las Piñas was designated as “Las Piñas BF Homes.”

The BF Homes Project was the brainchild of Banco Filipino founder Tomas Aguirre, who dreamt of building a suburban community in Southern Manila for urbanites who wish to escape the toxic life and highly populated greater Manila area, yet still want to stay close to their school and work. Aguirre likewise began to develop other sister subdivisions in Las Piñas, including Pilar Village and BF Almanza. As soon as the BF Homes Project opened in 1968, property sales began to spike.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Zapote

Zapote is a significant gateway to Las Piñas and neighboring cities as many people travel within the city, or to Parañaque or Baclaran through its road network backbone Alabang-Zapote Road. The road continues to suffer from heavy traffic brought by worsening congestion of jeepneys and buses. As of 2016, statistics showed that Alabang-Zapote Road carries around 70,000 vehicles on a daily basis.

Zapote is also a gateway to the province of Cavite, thanks to the historical Zapote Bridge that serves as a pedestrian promenade connecting this vibrant community to Bacoor. Geographically speaking, the Zapote River separates the City of Las Piñas from Bacoor in the Province of Cavite.

The Zapote Bridge is where the second largest battle was fought during the Philippine-American War. It was said that around 5,000 Filipinos raised their arms here against 3,000 Americans on February 16, 1897. It was a hard-fought battle that caused one-half of the bridge to collapse. Today, the bridge has become an essential economic landmark shared by the City of Las Piñas and the province of Bacoor. Both ends of the bridge feature monument parks. On the Las Piñas side is a monument erected for sculptor Ed Castrillo while a monument that depicts the Battle of Zapote Bridge lies on the Bacoor side.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Pulang Lupa

Pulang Lupa, a significant residential community in the city of Las Piñas, is home to the Sarao Motors Jeepney Factory, known as the “King of the Road.” The assembly plant owned by Leonardo Sarao is situated along Padre Diego Cera Ave., Pulang Lupa and is always open for those wishing to see how this type of vehicle is turned into a work of art. Sarao continues to create jeepneys, from four-wheel vehicles intended for transportation to other innovative models and prototypes. There are also custom-made jeeps for projects and exhibition purposes.

Pulang Lupa is also emerging as a commercial business district with the opening of significant businesses, including the Philippine National Bank which recently rolled out its branch in Naga Road, Barangay Pulang Lupa Dos. Naga Road is now a major income generating area in the city, aside from being one of the centers for residential subdivisions in Las Pinas. One of the essential residential developments in this area is the 3-hectare vertical village Camella Condo Homes. Situated at Barangay Pulang Lupa Mapayapa Village, the subdivision in Naga Road is close to C5 Extension, which is being developed into BPO hubs, along with hotels and malls in the area.

(Photo via Wikipedia)

Almanza

Almanza is another major residential area in the city of Las Piñas with an estimated combined population of Almanza Uno and Dos at around 70,000 people as of 2015. Many residential developments have sprouted in the community in recent years, among which is DMCI’s Ohana Place, which is comprised of seven mid-rise condominiums nestled in a 3-hectare land and featuring resort-like amenities and Polynesian architecture exuding the spirit of Hawaii.

Among the significant educational institutions in Almanza is the Centro Escolar Las Piñas, a unit of the century-old Centro Escolar University (CEU). The Manila-based CEU has acquired the school formerly known as Las Piñas College located in Pilar Village, Almanza.

Almanza is also a rapidly growing commercial center, particularly with hotel establishments. Some of the primary hotels found within the community are Eurotel Las Piñas, Hotel Dream World, Prima Resort, Orange Suites Serviced Apartments, and Big M Condotel.

(Photo via Wikimapia)

Pamplona

Pamplona is mostly a residential area in the city of Las Piñas with about 65,000 combined populations of Barangays Pamplona Uno, Dos and Tres as of 2015. One of the residential developments that are about to rise in the neighborhood is DMCI’s Parama Residences, a resort-inspired mid-rise condominium near significant business establishments such as Vista Mall, Star Mall, and SM Center.

One of the main shopping malls in Pamplona is SM Center Las Piñas, the second supermall owned by SM Prime Holdings in the city after SM Southmall. The mall situated along Alabang-Zapote Road is found next to the Dragon Mall (formerly known as Ever Center).

Starmall Las Piñas is another shopping destination in the area and holds the title as the first ever mall built in the South. It was just recently renovated to appear more modern and expand its leasable spaces to cater to the growing demand for BPOs.

Among the significant educational institutions in Pamplona is the University of Perpetual Help – Las Piñas campus. It’s the system’s first and biggest campus with almost 14,000 students and 1,370 staff (including non-teachers).